Murph workout: the full WOD, average times and how to prepare

The Murph workout is a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats and another 1-mile run, for time, ideally in a weighted vest. That's it. No tricks, no barbell, no mercy. It's the most famous of CrossFit's Hero workouts, done in gyms everywhere around Memorial Day, and it's a genuinely good test of whether your engine and your bodyweight strength can survive an hour of work.

It is also a terrible weekly workout. Here's the official version, what Murph workout times actually look like, how to scale it, and how to prepare without wrecking your regular training, whether you plan the build-up yourself or use a coach for run + lift training.

What is the Murph workout?

CrossFit's official Murph description is:

For time:

• ›Run 1 mile
• ›100 pull-ups
• ›200 push-ups
• ›300 air squats
• ›Run 1 mile

CrossFit says to partition the pull-ups, push-ups and squats as needed, and "If you've got a 14/20-lb vest or body armor, wear it." (14 lb for women, 20 lb for men, in the usual notation.)

The workout was created in 2005 in memory of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, New York, who was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. According to the same page, it was one of his favorites, and he'd named it "Body Armor".

That's worth knowing before you file it as just another hard session. People do Murph to honor someone. Doing it well, and doing it safely, is part of that.

Murph is a test, not a training plan. If you want something that builds the fitness Murph asks for, a hybrid training template with regular running, upper-body pulling and pressing, and easy conditioning will get you further than repeating Murph itself. For runners, those pieces already sit inside a normal week of strength and conditioning for distance runners.

The rules people argue about

Partitioning

The official description allows you to split the middle 600 reps however you like, as long as you finish the pull-ups, push-ups and squats before the second mile. CrossFit's own stimulus notes suggest two common splits:

The same notes suggest that people who have completed Murph before consider doing it unpartitioned: all 100 pull-ups, then all 200 push-ups, then all 300 squats. That version is much harder, mostly because the push-ups fall apart.

The vest

Rx Murph is done with the vest if you have one. Most people shouldn't wear one on their first attempt. A vest makes every pull-up and push-up heavier and both miles slower, and it turns a hard workout into a very long one. Do it without, get a time, then decide whether the vest is your next step.

Murph workout times: what's average?

There's no official database of Murph workout times you can trust, and the internet is full of averages nobody can source. The best published data point is small. In a study of 11 male CrossFit athletes (Carreker & Grosicki, 2020), the average Murph completion time was 43.43 ± 4.63 minutes. Their total running time averaged 17.60 minutes and their total time on the lifts averaged 25.49 minutes.

Two things from that study are worth knowing:

• ›The lifts decided the score. Total lift time was more strongly related to total Murph time than total run time.
• ›These were trained CrossFit athletes. If you're newer, your Murph workout time will likely be longer, and that's fine.

CrossFit's intermediate version gives another anchor: it halves the reps and tells you to head out for the second mile "no later than 25 minutes" into the workout. Use that as a pacing check. If the full 600 reps would take you far beyond that time scale, the half or beginner version is the better test this year.

How to estimate your own Murph workout time

Do the arithmetic before the day. Add your two mile times (the second will be slower) to your round time multiplied by your number of rounds. If your two miles take about 9 and 10 minutes, and each 5-10-15 round takes about 1:30, that's 19 minutes of running plus 30 minutes of reps, so roughly 49 minutes before transitions. If the rounds slow to 2:00 by the end, add five or ten.

Scaling Murph

CrossFit's own scaling options are a good starting point:

• ›Reduce the reps of pull-ups, push-ups and air squats.
• ›Reduce the run distance.
• ›Ring rows instead of pull-ups.
• ›Push-ups from the knees or with hands on a 30-inch box.
• ›Air squats to a target that allows a pain-free range of motion.

CrossFit also publishes two shorter versions:

Pick the version where you can keep moving with good reps for the whole thing. Half-depth push-ups to get an Rx time aren't an Rx time.

How to prepare for the Murph workout

Murph tests four things: running, pulling, pushing and the stubbornness to keep doing all three when they're tedious. Train those directly, and build up over six to eight weeks.

1. Build the push-up and pull-up base

The upper-body reps are where most people lose time. Twice a week, add pull-up and push-up volume:

• ›Pull-ups: sets of 3–8 with good form, building total weekly reps gradually. Band-assisted or ring rows if needed.
• ›Push-ups: several sets well short of failure. Volume beats max-effort sets.
• ›Grease the groove: a few easy sets spread through the day adds volume without fatigue.

2. Keep running, mostly easy

Two miles isn't far, but running them tired is the point. Two or three runs a week, mostly easy, plus one session with some faster running, is plenty. Runners don't need a special plan, just some pull-up and push-up volume on top of their usual week.

3. Practice the format once or twice

Do a half Murph three or four weeks out to test your partition and pacing. An amrap workout with pull-ups, push-ups and squats at Murph-like rep ratios is a good dress rehearsal for the middle section, without the full volume.

4. Build the engine without more running

If your legs need a break from running, the bike is a good engine builder. The assault bike workout plan explained in its own post trains your lungs without the impact. A kettlebell workout routine builds grip and trunk strength that helps you hang on the bar longer.

5. Don't do Murph to train for Murph

One full Murph is a lot of volume. Doing it repeatedly in the weeks before the real one mostly makes you tired and sore going into the day. Build the pieces, test them once, then go.

Pacing on the day

• ›Run the first mile easier than you want to. It feels slow. It isn't.
• ›Pick your partition before the start and stick to it for the first half.
• ›Break push-ups early. They fall apart first. Sets of five from the start beat sets of ten that turn into singles.
• ›Watch your round times. If they climb fast, slow the transitions, not the reps.
• ›Save something for the last mile. It's always slower than the first.

Recovering from Murph

Expect real soreness for a few days, especially in the chest, shoulders and quads. Plan the following days accordingly: easy movement, liss cardio like a walk or easy bike, and no heavy legs or hard intervals for a couple of days. If the soreness is extreme, unusual or doesn't settle, get checked by a doctor rather than training through it.

Where Murph fits in a hybrid year

Murph is a test, and tests go in lighter weeks, not in the middle of a hard block. Do it once, maybe twice a year. Don't put it the week before a race or a heavy strength test. Count it as a very hard day, with easy days around it.

It belongs with the other formats that are fun occasionally and costly as habits. Tabata training running intervals are short and brutal, but they're intervals, not a test of volume. And if you like long mixed circuits, circuit training with weights is the weekly-friendly version of the same idea.

How exrsz handles it

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, with running, pulling, pushing and conditioning balanced in one week. If you're preparing for a test like Murph, the build-up sits inside the plan rather than on top of it, the week adapts to how you actually trained, and missed sessions get reshuffled so hard days don't end up stacked.

FAQ

What is the Murph workout?

For time: a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats and another 1-mile run, per CrossFit's official description. The middle reps can be partitioned, and a 14/20-lb vest or body armor is worn if you have one.

What is a good Murph workout time?

There's no reliable public average. In a small study of 11 male CrossFit athletes, the average completion time was about 43 minutes. Newer athletes usually take longer, and finishing with good reps matters more than the clock.

Can you partition Murph?

Yes. CrossFit's official description allows partitioning the pull-ups, push-ups and squats as needed. Common splits are 20 rounds of 5-10-15 or 10 rounds of 10-20-30.

Should I wear a vest for Murph?

Only if you've done Murph without one first. The vest makes every rep and both runs harder; the official Rx is a 14/20-lb vest or body armor if you have one.

How often should you do Murph?

Once or twice a year. It's a test, not a training session, so put it in a lighter week and keep the days around it easy.